Celebrities Ive Met Or Seen In Person

Willard Carroll "Will" Smith II (born September 25, 1968) is an American actor, comedian, producer, rapper, and songwriter. He has enjoyed success in television, film, and music. In April 2007, Newsweek called him "the most powerful actor in Hollywood". Smith has been nominated for five Golden Globe Awards, two Academy Awards, and has won four Grammy Awards.

In the late 1980s, Smith achieved modest fame as a rapper under the name The Fresh Prince. In 1990, his popularity increased dramatically when he starred in the popular television series The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. The show ran for six seasons (1990-96) on NBC and has been syndicated consistently on various networks since then. After the series ended, Smith moved from television to film, and ultimately starred in numerous blockbuster films. He is the only actor to have eight consecutive films gross over $100 million in the domestic box office, eleven consecutive films gross over $150 million internationally, and eight consecutive films in which he starred open at the number one spot in the domestic box office tally.

Smith is ranked as the most bankable star worldwide by Forbes. As of 2014, 17 of the 21 films in which he has had leading roles have accumulated worldwide gross earnings of over $100 million each, five taking in over $500 million each in global box office receipts. As of 2014, his films have grossed $6.6 billion at the global box office. He has received Best Actor Oscar nominations for Ali and The Pursuit of Happyness.

Smith was born in West Philadelphia, the son of Caroline (Bright), a Philadelphia school board administrator, and Willard Carroll Smith, Sr., a refrigeration engineer. He grew up in West Philadelphia's Wynnefield neighborhood, and was raised Baptist. He has three siblings, sister Pamela, who is four years older, and twins Harry and Ellen, who are three years younger. Smith attended Our Lady of Lourdes, a private Catholic elementary school in Philadelphia. His parents separated when he was 13, but did not actually divorce until around 2000.

Smith attended Overbrook High School. Though widely reported, it is untrue that Smith turned down a scholarship to attend the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT); he never applied to college because he "wanted to rap." Smith says he was admitted to a "pre-engineering [summer] program" at MIT for high school students, but he did not attend. According to Smith, "My mother, who worked for the School Board of Philadelphia, had a friend who was the admissions officer at MIT. I had pretty high SAT scores and they needed black kids, so I probably could have gotten in. But I had no intention of going to college."

Smith started as the MC of the hip-hop duo DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, with his childhood friend Jeffrey "DJ Jazzy Jeff" Townes as producer, as well as Ready Rock C (Clarence Holmes) as the human beat box. The trio was known for performing humorous, radio-friendly songs, most notably "Parents Just Don't Understand" and "Summertime". They gained critical acclaim and won the first Grammy awarded in the Rap category (1988).

Smith spent money freely around 1988 and 1989 and underpaid his income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service eventually assessed a $2.8 million tax debt against Smith, took many of his possessions, and garnished his income. Smith was nearly bankrupt in 1990, when the NBC television network signed him to a contract and built a sitcom, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, around him.

The show was successful and began his acting career. Smith set for himself the goal of becoming "the biggest movie star in the world", studying box office successes' common characteristics.

Smith's first major roles were in the drama Six Degrees of Separation (1993) and the action film Bad Boys (1995) in which he starred opposite Martin Lawrence.

In 1996, Smith starred as part of an ensemble cast in Roland Emmerich's Independence Day. The film was a massive blockbuster, becoming the second highest grossing film in history at the time and establishing Smith as a prime box office draw. He later struck gold again in the summer of 1997 alongside Tommy Lee Jones in the summer hit Men in Black playing Agent J. In 1998, Smith starred with Gene Hackman in Enemy of the State.

He turned down the role of Neo in The Matrix in favor of Wild Wild West (1999). Despite the disappointment of Wild Wild West, Smith has said that he harbors no regrets about his decision, asserting that Keanu Reeves's performance as Neo was superior to what Smith himself would have achieved, although in interviews subsequent to the release of Wild Wild West he stated that he "made a mistake on Wild Wild West. That could have been better."

In 2005, Smith was entered into the Guinness Book of World Records for attending three premieres in a 24-hour time span.

He has planned to star in a feature film remake of the television series It Takes a Thief.

On December 10, 2007, Smith was honored at Grauman's Chinese Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard. Smith left an imprint of his hands and feet outside the world-renowned theater in front of many fans. Later that month, Smith starred in the film I Am Legend, released December 14, 2007. Despite marginally positive reviews, its opening was the largest ever for a film released in the United States during December. Smith himself has said that he considers the film to be "aggressively unique". A reviewer said that the film's commercial success "cemented [Smith's] standing as the number one box office draw in Hollywood." On December 1, 2008, TV Guide reported that Smith was selected as one of America's top ten most fascinating people of 2008 for a Barbara Walters ABC special that aired on December 4, 2008.

In 2008 Smith was reported to be developing a film entitled The Last Pharaoh, in which he would be starring as Taharqa. It was in 2008 that Smith starred in the superhero movie Hancock.

Men in Black III opened on May 25, 2012 with Smith again reprising his role as Agent J. This was his first major starring role in four years.

On August 19, 2011, it was announced that Smith had returned to the studio with producer La Mar Edwards to work on his fifth studio album. Edwards has worked with artists such as T.I., Chris Brown, and Game. Smith's most recent studio album, Lost and Found, was released in 2005.

Smith and his son Jaden played father and son in two productions: the 2006 biographical drama The Pursuit of Happyness, and the science fiction film After Earth, which was released on May 31, 2013.

Smith starred opposite Margot Robbie in the romance drama Focus. He played Nicky Spurgeon, a veteran con artist who takes a young, attractive woman under his wing. Focus was released on February 27, 2015. Smith was set to star in the Sci-Fic thriller Brilliance, an adaptation of Marcus Sakey's novel of the same name scripted by Jurassic Park writer David Koepp. But he left the project.

Smith played Dr. Bennet Omalu of the Brain Injury Research Institute in the sports-drama Concussion, who became the first person to discover chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE) in a football player's brain. CTE is a degenerative disease caused by severe trauma to the head that can be discovered only after death. Smith's involvement is mostly due to his last-minute exit from the Sci-Fi thriller-drama Brilliance. Concussion was directed by Peter Landesman and-bead filmed in Pittsburgh, according to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It received $14.4 million in film tax credits from Pennsylvania. Principal photography started on October 27, 2014. Actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw played his wife. Omalu served as a consultant.

As of November 2015, Smith is set to star in the independent drama Collateral Beauty, which will be directed by David Frankel. Smith will play a New York advertising executive who succumbs to an deep depression after a personal tragedy.

Nobel Peace Prize Concert December 11, 2009, in Oslo, Norway: Smith with wife Jada and children Jaden and Willow Smith married Sheree Zampino in 1992. They had one son, Trey Smith, born on November 11, 1992, and divorced in 1995. Trey appeared in his father's music video for the 1998 single "Just the Two of Us". He also acted in two episodes of the sitcom All of Us, and has appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and on the David Blaine: Real or Magic TV special.

Smith married actress Jada Koren Pinkett in 1997. Together they have two children: Jaden Christopher Syre Smith (born 1998), his co-star in The Pursuit of Happyness and After Earth, and Willow Camille Reign Smith (born 2000), who appeared as his daughter in I Am Legend. Smith and his brother Harry own Treyball Development Inc., a Beverly Hills-based company named after Trey. Smith and his family reside in Los Angeles, California.

Smith was consistently listed in Fortune Magazine's "Richest 40" list of the forty wealthiest Americans under the age of 40.

Jada Koren Pinkett Smith was born in Baltimore, Maryland, to Robsol Grant Pinkett, Jr., a contractor, and 'Gammy' Adrienne Banfield Norris, a nurse. They divorced after only a few months of marriage. Her father is of African-American descent and her mother is of Afro-Caribbean ancestry (from Barbados and Jamaica). Jada majored in dance and choreography at the Baltimore School for the Arts, where one of her classmates was Tupac Shakur. She spent a year at the North Carolina School of the Arts before dropping out to pursue her career in acting. Her big break came in 1991 when she was cast in the part of a college frosh on the television sitcom A Different World (1987). She made her feature film debut two years later in Menace II Society (1993). She did not gain widespread recognition, however, until her role opposite Eddie Murphy in The Nutty Professor (1996). In addition to being in front of the camera, she has spent time behind it directing music videos. Pinkett-Smith is married to Will Smith, and they have a son, Jaden Smith; and a daughter, Willow Smith.

Delivered a fantastic performance of a reformed street 'hitter' on the HBO show 'The Wire' from season 3 to season 5 with varied screen time. The character reflected the possibility of reformed criminals into positive characters of society; as with Coleman's character starting a boxing gym for the young children/men to stay off the streets and learn a sport.

Maya Dunbar started her career in front of the camera, appearing on such hit shows as, Southland, Banshee, Harry's Law and The Mentalist. She has since transitioned into writing, in addition to producing alongside her partner and husband, actor Rockmond Dunbar; under their MyRock Entertainment banner. In 2018, Maya sold an original hour long untitled legal drama to Universal and NBC. She followed that up with another pilot at Universal in 2019. A one hour cop procedural set in New Orleans. That same year, she was staffed as a writer on NBC's freshman series Bluff City Law where she was tasked with writing Episode 109 (Ave Marie) Maya has written for numerous production companies and producers, whether it's bringing their concepts to life or her own.

Denzel Hayes Washington, Jr. was born on December 28, 1954 in Mount Vernon, New York. He is the middle of three children of a beautician mother, Lennis, from Georgia, and a Pentecostal minister father, Denzel Washington, Sr., from Virginia. After graduating from high school, Denzel enrolled at Fordham University, intent on a career in journalism. However, he caught the acting bug while appearing in student drama productions and, upon graduation, he moved to San Francisco and enrolled at the American Conservatory Theater. He left A.C.T. after only one year to seek work as an actor. His first paid acting role was in a summer stock theater stage production in St. Mary's City, Maryland. The play was "Wings of the Morning", which is about the founding of the colony of Maryland (now the state of Maryland) and the early days of the Maryland colonial assembly (a legislative body). He played the part of a real historical character, Mathias Da Sousa, although much of the dialogue was created. Afterwards he began to pursue screen roles in earnest. With his acting versatility and powerful presence, he had no difficulty finding work in numerous television productions.

He made his first big screen appearance in Carbon Copy (1981) with George Segal. Through the 1980s, he worked in both movies and television and was chosen for the plum role of Dr. Philip Chandler in NBC's hit medical series St. Elsewhere (1982), a role that he would play for six years. In 1989, his film career began to take precedence when he won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his portrayal of Tripp, the runaway slave in Edward Zwick's powerful historical masterpiece Glory (1989).

Washington has received much critical acclaim for his film work since the 1990s, including his portrayals of real-life figures such as South African anti-apartheid activist Steve Biko in Cry Freedom (1987), Muslim minister and human rights activist Malcolm X in Malcolm X (1992), boxer Rubin "Hurricane" Carter in The Hurricane (1999), football coach Herman Boone in Remember the Titans (2000), poet and educator Melvin B. Tolson in The Great Debaters (2007), and drug kingpin Frank Lucas in American Gangster (2007). Malcolm X and The Hurricane garnered him Oscar nominations for Best Actor, before he finally won that statuette in 2002 for his lead role in Training Day (2001).

Through the 1990s, Denzel also co-starred in such big budget productions as The Pelican Brief (1993), Philadelphia (1993), Crimson Tide (1995), The Preacher's Wife (1996), and Courage Under Fire (1996), a role for which he was paid $10 million. He continued to define his onscreen persona as the tough, no-nonsense hero through the 2000s in films like Out of Time (2003), Man on Fire (2004), Inside Man (2006), and The Taking of Pelham 123 (2009). Cerebral and meticulous in his film work, he made his debut as a director with Antwone Fisher (2002); he also directed The Great Debaters (2007) and Fences (2016).

In 2010, Washington headlined The Book of Eli (2010), a post-Apocalyptic drama. Later that year, he starred as a veteran railroad engineer in the action film Unstoppable (2010), about an unmanned, half-mile-long runaway freight train carrying dangerous cargo. The film was his fifth and final collaboration with director Tony Scott, following Crimson Tide (1995), Man on Fire (2004), Déjà Vu (2006) and The Taking of Pelham 1 2 3. He has also been a featured actor in the films produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and has been a frequent collaborator of director Spike Lee.

In 2012, Washington starred in Flight (2012), for which he was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actor. He co-starred with Ryan Reynolds in Safe House (2012), and prepared for his role by subjecting himself to a torture session that included waterboarding. In 2013, Washington starred in 2 Guns (2013), alongside Mark Wahlberg. In 2014, he starred in The Equalizer (2014), an action thriller film directed by Antoine Fuqua and written by Richard Wenk, based on the television series of same name starring Edward Woodward. During this time period, he also took on the role of producer for some of his films, including The Book of Eli and Safe House.

In 2016, he was selected as the recipient for the Cecil B. DeMille Lifetime Achievement Award at the 73rd Golden Globe Awards.

He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Pauletta Washington, and their four children.

Antwone Fisher was born on August 3, 1959 in Cleveland, Ohio. He grew up in Cleveland's foster care system and was emancipated from care at age 17 in the world alone and living on the tough streets of Cleveland, at age 18 Antwone joined the United States Navy where he traveled the world and was awarded many medals and ribbons including two good conduct medals. Antwone served honorably for 11 years and was discharged from service in 1989 at the rank of E5. A veteran United States Navy Sailor, Antwone was appointed to the honorary rank of Chief Petty Officer by the Master Chief Petty Officer of the United States Navy on October 5, 2009. He served three years as a Federal Correctional Officer with the Federal Bureau of Prisons before taking a position as a security officer at Sony Pictures Entertainment in 1992. The following year Antwone wrote and sold his autobiographical script titled "Antwone Fisher" to 20th Century Fox and it was made into a film by Fox Searchlight films in 2003. Antwone has been a working screenwriter in Hollywood for 23 years. Antwone Fisher is the author of the New York Times Bestseller Finding Fish: a memoir, (Harper Collins) The National Bestselling book of Poetry, Who Will Cry For The Little Boy?, (William Morrow) and the award winning self-improvement instructional book, A Boy Should Know How To Tie A Tie and Other Lessons for succeeding in life, (Touchstone Fireside).

Aaron Paul was born Aaron Paul Sturtevant in Emmett, Idaho, to Darla (Haynes) and Robert Sturtevant, a retired Baptist minister. While growing up, Paul took part in church programs, and performed in plays.

He attended Centennial High School in Boise, Idaho. It was there, in eighth grade, that Aaron decided he wanted to become an actor. He joined the theatre department and became obsessed with the idea of acting for a living. After finishing school, Aaron moved to Los Angeles.

During the late '90's, he worked as an usher at the Universal Studios Movie Theatre in Hollywood. His television debut was in an episode of Beverly Hills, 90210 (1990), which was followed by an appearance in another Aaron Spelling series, Melrose Place (1992).

On the big screen, Aaron played the estranged son of Jeff Bridges in K-PAX (2001), and Tom Cruise's brother-in-law in Mission: Impossible III (2006).

After appearing in several roles on American television, his breakthrough role came as "Jesse Pinkman" in the AMC series Breaking Bad (2008). The character was only supposed to last for one season, but series creator Vince Gilligan changed his mind, due to Aaron's chemistry with Bryan Cranston. He has won three Emmy Awards for "Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series" for this role (2010, 2012 and 2014).

Arlen Escarpeta was born in Belize, Central America as Arlen Alexander Escarpeta. He is known for his work on Whitney (TV Movie) (2015), Final Destination 5 (2011), Into the Storm (2014) and Friday the 13th (2009). He currently resides in Los Angeles, California and has been able to make a name for himself within the world of TV, film, voiceover and print.

Rosemarie Braddock DeWitt, who is also known as Rosemarie DeWitt, is one of the most popular American actresses. She was born on October 26, 1971 in Flushing, Queens that lies in New York, USA. Her parents are Rosemarie Baddock and Kenny DeWitt. She has been featured in various roles in a number of movies and TV shows. She was raised in Hanover Township, New Jersey and she graduated from Whippany Park High School. She also used to perform in many high school productions. She is a granddaughter of former World Heavyweight Champion Jimmy Braddock, and played the role of neighbor Sara Wilson in the movie Cinderella Man (2005), which depicted Jimmy Braddock's life. DeWitt performed in numerous off Broadway plays. Most notably, she starred in John Patrick Shanley's Danny and the Deep Blue Sea at the Second Stage Theatre; George S. Kaufman's The Butter and Egg Man at the Atlantic Theater Company; and Craig Lucas' Small Tragedy, for which the entire cast won an Obie Award. From May 4-23, 2010, DeWitt appeared in MCC Theater's Off Broadway play Family Week, written by Beth Henley and directed by Jonathan Demme. In its review of the play, the New York Times stated that DeWitt's lead performance has many affecting moments as the beleaguered Claire. DeWitt appeared in Showtime's series United States of Tara (2009) as Tara's sister, Charmaine. She appeared in Season 1 of the AMC series Mad Men (2007) as Midge Daniels, lead character Don Draper's bohemian mistress, and returned for one episode in Season 4. She co-starred with Ron Livingston in the 2006-2007 Fox series Standoff (2006). She played FBI hostage negotiator Emily Lehman. DeWitt has also appeared on television in Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (1999), Sex and the City (1998), Rescue Me (2004), and Love Monkey (2006). DeWitt is featured in the film Margaret (2011), opposite Anna Paquin and Mark Ruffalo. Additional film credits include Purple Violets (2007), Off the Black (2006), The Wedding Weekend (2006), The Great New Wonderful (2005), The Commuters (2005) and How I Got Lost (2009). She plays the role of Rachel in the Jonathan Demme-directed movie Rachel Getting Married (2008) alongside Anne Hathaway, for which she won several critics' awards and a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress. DeWitt played Ben Affleck's character's wife in the corporate drama The Company Men (2010). In 2011 she played Hannah, one of the three lead characters in the critically acclaimed Your Sister's Sister (2011), opposite Emily Blunt and Mark Duplass. In 2011, she played Renee Blair in the film A Little Bit of Heaven (2011) starring Kate Hudson. In 2012, she played Alice in Gus Van Sant's film Promised Land (2012), released on December 28, 2012. In 2016 she appeared in the multi-award-winning La La Land (2016) as Laura, the sister of Ryan Gosling's character Sebastian.

Jamie Foxx is an American actor, singer and comedian. He won an Academy Award for Best Actor, BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role, and Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Musical or Comedy, for his work in the biographical film Ray (2004). The same year, he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the action film Collateral (2004). Other prominent acting roles include the title role in the film Django Unchained (2012), the supervillain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and William Stacks in the modern version of Annie (2014).

Jamie Foxx was born Eric Marlon Bishop in Terrell, Texas, to Louise Annette Talley and Darrell Bishop, who worked as a stockbroker and had later changed his name to Shahid Abdula. His mother was an adopted child. When her marriage to his father failed, his maternal grandparents, Mark and Estelle Talley, stepped in and, at age seven months, adopted Jamie too. He has said that he had a very rigid upbringing that placed him in the Boy Scouts and the church choir. During high school, he played quarterback for his high school team and was good enough that he got press in Dallas newspapers. He studied music in college. He released a music album, "Peep This" (1994), and sings the theme song for his movie, Any Given Sunday (1999). However, in 1989, his life changed when a girlfriend challenged him to get up onstage at the Comedy Club. In fact, he says he took his androgynous stage name because he learned that women got preference for mike time on open stage nights. That led to his being cast on Roc (1991) and In Living Color (1990).

Foxx had his own WB television show from 1996 to 2001, the sitcom The Jamie Foxx Show (1996), in which he played Jamie King Jr. Foxx is also a Grammy Award-winning musician, producing four albums which have charted highly on the US Billboard 200: "Unpredictable" (2005), which topped the chart, "Intuition" (2008), "Best Night of My Life" (2010), and "Hollywood: A Story of a Dozen Roses" (2015). In 2012, Foxx starred in the title role of the Quentin Tarantino written and directed Django Unchained (2012). Foxx starred alongside his Ray co-star Kerry Washington, as well as Christoph Waltz, Leonardo DiCaprio and Samuel L. Jackson. In 2013, Foxx was cast as President James Sawyer in White House Down (2013) alongside Channing Tatum. The following year, Foxx appeared as the villain Electro in The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and co-starred with Quvenzhané Wallis in Annie (2014), Sony's Will Smith and Jay-Z produced update of the comic strip-turned-musical.

He has two children, including Corinne Foxx, (born 1994), who resides with her mother.

Kim's film career began in 1991 with The Last Boy Scout. Two Warner Brothers' hits followed: Innocent Blood and The Client. Since that time he has starred in over forty films, including Academy Award winners Black Hawk Down directed by Ridley Scott, and Pearl Harbor directed by Michael Bay. Other films include Waterworld and Open Range with Kevin Costner, Grilled with Ray Romano, Silent Hill opposite Sean Bean, Hostage with Bruce Willis, Assault on Precinct 13, Unforgettable, Skinwalkers, and Hero Wanted.

Kim returned to Entourage for it's final season as Carl Ertz, the sleazy movie Producer. His performance garnered so much attention in previous seasons that Ertz's return was a direct request. He appeared in a recurring role on CSI Miami. Other prominent guest starring television roles include CSI, CSI NY, Cold Case, and Prison Break. He has had roles in more than 20 MOW's including the NBC miniseries Hercules, and Disney's Scream Team. These dramatic turns on television have earned him Gemini nominations for Best Actor in a Featured Supporting Role for HBO's Dead Silence and Best Performance in a Guest Role Dramatic Series for The Outer Limits.

In 2008 Kim starred in and executive produced the film The Poet. Before its wide release it won best picture and best director (Damian Lee) at the New York Staten Island Film festival.

At the AOF International Film Festival in Pasadena, Kim received the Half Life Achievement Award for acting in 2009. Kim also won best actor for playing Steve Sorrano in King of Sorrow.

Kim starred on Broadway as Stanley Kowalski in A Streetcar Named Desire, as the title role in Macbeth at the legendary Stratford Theatre, and has appeared in over fifty plays in North America.

In the fall of 2010 Kim starred in the blockbuster 3D movie Resident Evil Afterlife, with Mila Jovovich.

In 2011, Kim starred in Sacrifice, with Cuba Gooding Jr., A Little Help, with Jenna Fisher, Sinners and Saints and Robosapien.

In 2012, Kim starred in the sports comedy Goon along side Seann William Scott, Liev Schreiber and Jay Baruchel, for which Kim is nominated for Best Performance By An Actor In A Supporting Role at the 2013 Canadian Screen Awards. Goon was much lauded by international audiences and critics alike.

The FX hit series Sons of Anarchy is going into its 6th season. Kim Coates is Tig Trager, the motorcycle club's sergeant at arms. Tig fears nothing, much like Kim throughout his career.

Kim has 3 feature films opening in 2013; Rufus, Ferocious, The Dark Truth which Kim co-produced and starred in along side Forrest Whitaker and Andy Garcia,

Kim is currently filming Crossing Lines in Prague with William Fichtner and Donald Sutherland.

Kim currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife and their two children.

Duke Media Entertainment, led by actor, director, producer, writer and humanitarian, Bill Duke, is dedicated to bringing quality Edutainment to audiences around the globe. Formerly Yagya Productions, Duke Media has successfully produced critically acclaimed film and television content for more than 30 years. Additionally, Duke Media is in process of expanding the brand to involve itself in the development of new media technologies, i.e. cellphone apps, games, and virtual world experiences. Since the early 70s, Bill Duke along with industry veterans Michael Shultz and Gordon Parks, have long paved the way for African Americans in the industry.

Mr. Duke excels in front of and behind the camera. His acting and directing credits are extensive and include stints on such ground breaking television series as Falcon Crest, Fame, Hill Street Blues, Knotts Landing, Dallas, and New York Undercover. His feature credits include Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit, Get Rich or Die Trying, Deep Cover, Hoodlum, Predator, Menace II Society and Not Easily Broken, to name a few. He has recently completed production on, Blexicans, a new television pilot that takes a comedic look at a mixed race family. His documentaries, Dark Girls and Light Girls, both NAACP Image Award nominees, aired on OWN and were two of the most successful documentaries on the network.

Bill Duke's invaluable contributions to the industry have been recognized by both his peers and the entertainment community. Appointed by former President Bill Clinton to the National Endowment of Humanities, he was appointed to the Board of the California State Film Commission by former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and he has been honored by the Directors Guild of America with a Lifetime Achievement Tribute.

Garry Shandling was born on 29 November 1949 in Chicago, Illinois, USA. He was a writer and actor, known for The Larry Sanders Show (1992), It's Garry Shandling's Show. (1986) and Captain America: The Winter Soldier (2014). He died on 24 March 2016 in Los Angeles, California, USA.

Three-time Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter, New York Times best-selling poet, and critically acclaimed actor are only a few titles held by Jill Scott. Before having the #1 album in the country with "The Light of The Sun", performing at The White House, being named People Magazine's Top TV Breakout Star of 2010 and appearing on VH1 Divas alongside Aretha Franklin, the triple threat began her career collaborating with musical icons, The Roots, Will Smith, and Common in the late 90s. In 2000, she released her much anticipated debut record, Who is Jill Scott? Words & Sounds, Vol. 1, a double platinum album that earned Scott several Grammy nominations, including Best New Artist. Two more critically acclaimed albums followed, Beautifully Human: Words & Sounds, Vol. 2 and The Real Thing: Words & Sounds, Vol. 3 which garnered two more Grammy Awards and spawned multiple worldwide tours.

Never limited to music, Jill Scott is a true multimedia brand across books, clothing, TV and film. Most recently, Jill starred in Get On Up: A James Brown Biopic, as DeeDee, the wife of James Brown. She also starred alongside Tyler Perry & Janet Jackson in the #1 national movie series Why Did I Get Married? (Pt. 1 and 2), Baggage Claim, Steel Magnolias and Sins of the Mother which aired on Lifetime and became the second-most watched premiere in the network's history. Jill was also casted as the lead character in the HBO/BBC mini-series filmed on location in Botswana, The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency, a Peabody Award-winning show directed by the late Oscar Award-winning director Anthony Minghella. In 2017, Jill Scott was casted as "Nayyirah Shariff" in the original Lifetime film Flint, a drama based on the Flint water crisis in Flint, Michigan - also starring Betsy Brandy, Marin Ireland and Queen Latifah.

A consummate writer at heart, she penned The Moments, The Minutes, The Hours, a compilation of poems that instantly became a New York Times bestseller. Scott also developed an intimates line for Ashley Stewart and founded Blues Babe, a registered 501(c)3 foundation that has raised over hundreds of thousands dollars to support minority students pursuing college degrees.

Jill released her highly anticipated 5th studio album Woman on July 24, 2015 which opened on the music charts at #1 giving Jill her 2nd consecutive number one album. In January of 2017, Jill Scott marked her brand's expansion into stationary, releasing an exclusive "Jill Scott" greeting card collection in partnership with Hallmark Mahogany. Jill Scott received a 2017 Grammy nomination in the "Best Traditional R&B Performance" category for her single, "Can't Wait." Jill's most recent endeavor - find her taking on the role of "Hazel" in the BET + remake of the 1996 romantic comedy, The First Wives Club.

A tall, strikingly attractive blue-eyed natural blonde, Cameron Diaz was born in 1972 in San Diego, the daughter of a Cuban-American father and an Anglo-German mother. Self described as "adventurous, independent and a tough kid," Cameron left home at 16 and for the next 5 years lived in such varied locales as Japan, Australia, Mexico, Morocco, and Paris. Returning to California at the age of 21, she was working as a model when she auditioned for a big part in The Mask (1994). To her amazement and despite having no previous acting experience, she was cast as the female lead in the film opposite Jim Carrey. Over the next 3 years, she honed her acting skills in such low budget independent films as The Last Supper (1995); Feeling Minnesota (1996); and Head Above Water (1996). She returned to main stream films in My Best Friend's Wedding (1997), in which she held her own against veteran actress Julia Roberts. She earned full fledged star status in 1998 for her performance in the box office smash There's Something About Mary (1998). With her name near the top on virtually every list of Hollyood's sexiest actresses, and firmly established as one of filmdom's hottest properties and most sought after actresses, Cameron Diaz appears to possess everything necessary to become one of the super stars of the new century.

Tracey Edmonds has created and produced groundbreaking projects for television, film, music, and digital media. She served as co-host of Extra TV alongside Mario Lopez and Charissa Thompson for 3 years, where she earned an Emmy Award. Edmonds currently serves as CEO and President of Edmonds Entertainment. Edmonds is also the Founder and Editor of the lifestyle, health and wellness media brand, AlrightNow.com.

Tracey most recently executive produced the second season of Games People Play (BET), a sexy stylized drama about the high-stakes world of the NBA starring Karrueche Tran and Sarunas Jackson. The show finished its first season, starring Lauren London, as BET's #1 show. Other recent projects The Postcard Killings starring Jeffrey Dean Morgan and Famke Janssen. As a television producer, Edmonds' past projects include the hit series Deion's Family Playbook (OWN) and the three-time NAACP Image Award nominated television movie With This Ring (Lifetime). Edmonds won high acclaim for the serialized version of her hit movie Soul Food, an hour-long drama for Showtime Networks, Inc., which ran for five seasons and won multiple NAACP Image Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series three years in a row. She also executive produced several groundbreaking reality shows including College Hill (BET's first reality show), which ran for six seasons, and its spinoff College Hill Interns; Lil' Kim: Countdown to Lockdown; and DMX: Soul of a Man. Edmonds' other film successes include the hit film Jumping the Broom starring Angela Bassett, which earned several NAACP Image Awards. Her upcoming projects include feature film End of the Road, starring Queen Latifah, Ludacris, and Beau Bridges for Netflix; a drama series, Invisible Life, for HBO; and College Hill: Celebrity Edition, a reimagined version of the original series, starring Nene Leaks, Ray J, Lamar Odom, Big Freedia, Stacey Dash, Dream Doll, India Love, and Slim Thug.

A Stanford University graduate, Edmonds has won numerous awards for her contributions to the entertainment industry, including Ebony Magazine's Outstanding Women in Marketing & Communications Entrepreneur Award (2002); the Volunteers of America Legacy of Leadership Award (2004); the National Organization for Women's Excellence in Media Award (2005); Alliance for Women in Media's Gracies Award for Best Host in Entertainment & Information (2015); Emmy Award, Outstanding Entertainment News Program (2016); Alliance for Women in Media SoCal's Genii Award for Excellence in Entertainment (2016); and the National Urban League's Women in Harmony Award (2024).

Edmonds served as the co-chair for the PGA's annual Produced By Conference for 6 years. Previously, she also served on the Board of Governors for the Producers Guild of America (PGA) and on the Board of Trustees for the American Film Institute. She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and is on the Board of the Plby Group.

Edmonds also holds an Honorary Doctorate degree from Southern University.

Tracey Edmonds has two sons, Brandon and Dylan Edmonds.

The consummate triple threat, Mekia Cox burst on the scene when she was cast as the vivacious DJ Sasha, on The CW's hit series "90210". From there, the Florida State University graduate was able to work with other industry icons including J.J. Abrams and producer Josh Reims when she was a series regular on NBC's "Undercovers," as well as with three-time Academy Award nominee Frank Darabont in TNT's "Mob City". Most recently she starred in three primetime shows: TV Land's "Impastor", ABC's "Secrets and Lies" the NBC hit drama "Chicago Med." Now, Mekia has recently joined the cast of the ABC's fan favorite "Once Upon A Time" for it's seventh season as series regular, Princess Tiana, the beloved character from the popular Disney animated feature "The Princess and The Frog."

Mekia Cox was born on November 18, 1981 in Saint Croix, U.S. Virgin Island, but moved to Orlando, Florida at age 7. With early career credits including "One Tree Hill", "CSI:NY", "Half & Half" and "Bones," she proceeded to be cast in award-winning television series such as "Modern Family", "Grey's Anatomy", "Gotham", "Key & Peele", "Almost Human", "Leverage", "Common Law", "Necessary Roughness", and "The Mentalist", just to name a few. Additionally, she has taken her talents to the big screen when she appeared in "Battlefield America" and alongside Steve Carell and Ryan Gosling in the romantic comedy "Crazy, Stupid, Love". Mekia's talents far exceed what has been captured on screen. With a Bachelor of Music Degree in Musical Theatre and two national Broadway tours under her belt ("Fame" and "Smoke Joe's Café"), she is sharing her passion for the stage with world. Alongside her own production company, 42 Seven Productions, she and her team produce, host and perform at "Broadway at the W," a stage show that highlights the best performances in Broadway with appearances from some of the top names in entertainment. The showcases take place at the prestigious W Hotel in Hollywood as well as New York City's W in Times Square and the W City Center in downtown Chicago. Mekia has been dazzling audiences since the age of two when she performed her first solo song and dance. It was then that she knew her purpose in life was to entertain and she is proving to the world that this is just the beginning.

Adam Richard Sandler was born September 9, 1966 in Brooklyn, New York, to Judith (Levine), a teacher at a nursery school, and Stanley Alan Sandler, an electrical engineer. He is of Russian Jewish descent. At 17, he took his first step towards becoming a stand-up comedian when he spontaneously took the stage at a Boston comedy club. He found he was a natural comic. He nurtured his talent while at New York University (graduating with a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in 1991) by performing regularly in clubs and at universities. During his freshman year, he snagged a recurring role as the Huxtable family's friend Smitty on The Cosby Show (1984). While working at a comedy club in L.A., he was "discovered" by Dennis Miller, who recommended him to Saturday Night Live (1975) producer Lorne Michaels and told him that Sandler had a big talent. This led to his being cast in the show in 1990, which he also wrote for in addition to performing. After Saturday Night Live (1975), Sandler went on to the movies, starring in such hit comedies as Airheads (1994), Happy Gilmore (1996), Billy Madison (1995) and Big Daddy (1999). He has also starred in Mr. Deeds (2002) alongside Winona Ryder; Eight Crazy Nights (2002), an animated movie about the Jewish festival of Chanukah; and Punch-Drunk Love (2002). He also writes and produces many of his own films and has composed songs for several of them, including The Wedding Singer (1998). Sandler has had several of his songs placed on the "Billboard" charts, including the classic "The Chanukah Song".

Channing Tatum was born in a small town, Cullman, Alabama, 50 miles north of Birmingham. He is the son of Kay (Faust), an airline worker, and Glenn Matthew Tatum, who worked in construction. Growing up, he was full of energy and somewhat troublesome, so his parents decided to enroll him in different sports such as track and field, baseball, soccer, and football to keep him out of trouble. In the ninth grade he was sent to Catholic school. It was there that he discovered his passion for football and his hopes became centered on earning an athletic college scholarship. Channing's goal was finally met, and in his senior year in high school, he was recruited and earned a full athletic college scholarship to a school in West Virginia.

Tatum is also skilled in Kung Fu and in Gor-Chor Kung Fu, a form of martial arts, in which he has earned belts. Channing later left college and, in the meantime, worked as a construction worker, a stripper, a mortgage broker and salesman. He has modeled for Abercrombie & Fitch, Nautica, Gap, Aeropostale, Emporio Armani, and has been featured in television commercials for American Eagle, Pepsi, and some very popular Mountain Dew commercials.

Channing can be seen on the big screen as a featured actor in Coach Carter (2005), in which he plays a high school basketball player. He was also in the very popular TV series CSI: Miami (2002) where he played the role of Bob Davenport.

Lauren London first appeared in the film, ATL, opposite actor and recording artist, Tip "TI" Harris. Due to London's breakout success in ATL, she received an offer to star in the film, This Christmas, with Loretta Devine, Idris Elba and Regina King. Her next film role was in the teen romantic comedy, I Love You, Beth Cooper, opposite Hayden Panettiere. London made her television debut on Everybody Hates Chris. Her other television credits include a recurring guest star role on HBO's Entourage, a recurring guest star role on CW's 90210 and a special guest star role in the VH1 series, Singles Ladies, executive produced by Queen Latifah. London's next feature film is Madea's Big Happy Family, directed by Tyler Perry. She is a Los Angeles native.

Bianca Lawson was born on 20 March 1979 in Los Angeles, California, USA. She is an actress and producer, known for Save the Last Dance (2001), The Feast of All Saints (2001) and Rogue (2013).

Ne-Yo was born on 18 October 1982 in Camden, Arkansas, USA. He is a music artist and actor, known for Battle Los Angeles (2011), Red Tails (2012) and The Princess and the Frog (2009). He has been married to Crystal Smith since 20 February 2016. They have three children.

Highly inventive U.S. film director/producer/writer/actor Sam Raimi first came to the attention of film fans with the savage, yet darkly humorous, low-budget horror film, The Evil Dead (1981). From his childhood, Raimi was a fan of the cinema and, before he was ten-years-old, he was out making movies with an 8mm camera. He was a devoted fan of The Three Stooges, so much of Raimi's film work in his teens, with good friends Bruce Campbell and Rob Tapert, was slapstick comedy based around what they had observed from "Stooges" movies.

Among the three of them, they wrote, directed, produced and edited a short horror movie titled Within the Woods (1978), which was then shown to prospective investors to raise the money necessary to film The Evil Dead (1981). It met with lukewarm interest in the U.S. with local distributors, so Raimi took the film to Europe, where it was much more warmly received. After it started gaining positive reviews and, more importantly, ticket sales upon its release in Europe, U.S. distributors showed renewed interest, and "Evil Dead" was eventually released stateside to strong box office returns. His next directorial effort was Crimewave (1985), a quirky, cartoon-like effort that failed to catch fire with audiences. However, he bounced back with Evil Dead II (1987), a racier and more humorous remake/sequel to the original "Dead" that did even better at the box office. Raimi was then given his biggest budget to date to shoot Darkman (1990), a comic book-style fantasy about a scarred avenger. The film did moderate business, but Raimi's strong visual style was evident throughout the film via inventive and startling camera work that caught the attention of numerous critics.

The third chapter in the Evil Dead story beckoned, and Raimi once again directed buddy Campbell as the gritty hero "Ash", in the Gothic horror Army of Darkness (1992). Raimi surprised fans when he took a turn away from the fantasy genre and directed Gene Hackman and Sharon Stone in the sexy western, The Quick and the Dead (1995); four years later, he took the directorial reins on A Simple Plan (1998), a crime thriller about stolen money, starring Bill Paxton and Bridget Fonda. In early 1999, he directed the baseball film, For Love of the Game (1999), and, in 2000, returned to the fantasy genre with a top-flight cast in The Gift (2000). In 2002, Raimi was given a real opportunity to demonstrate his dynamic visual style with the big-budget film adaptation of the Stan Lee comic book superhero, Spider-Man (2002), and fans were not disappointed. The movie was strong in both script and effects, and was a runaway success at the box office. Of course, Raimi returned for the sequel, Spider-Man 2 (2004), which surpassed the original in box-office takings.

Timothy Kevin Story was born on March 13, 1970 in Los Angeles, California. Attended Westchester High School in Los Angeles, California with jazz pianist Eric Reed and actresses Regina King and Nia Long. Graduated from USC film school.

Jimmy Woodard is known for Mo' Money (1992), Graveyard Shift (1990) and Hollywood Shuffle (1987).